National Republican., 1887-03-16
lese of casting an ioncst ballot and having it

iege of casting an Lonest ballot and having IL
fairly counted.
The colored men having once secured this
fieht oil u o otner political rights Of citizen
snip VIII IDllow, and thus the race prejudice
ana co'Jr line in politics will be broken down,
never 10 be revived.
With full understanding OF what the
Words convey, and after careful considera-
tion, we repeat and indorse every word
said above.
There is no ingratitude in a man saving
himself from drowning by seizIng the over.
hanging limb of tree because on prevl-
Gus occasion another man threw him rope
and rescued him from the water The Re.
publican party rescued the negro from
manual slavery and placed him upon the
high ground Of citizenship, but the Demo-
Gratis Of the south have put him into politi-
cal bondage and the Republican party Is
unable, because Of our peculiar form Of
government, to rescue him from this new
eeivitude.
The NATIONAL REPUBLICAN holds, then,
that 1t is q duty the colored men Of the
south owe to themselves to take such steps,
be they what they may, within the bounds
Of the law, to rescue themselves from this
political bondage, and the only course It
can see open for them by which to achieve
this object Is the one pointed out-namely,
10 divide on the political Issues Of the day
and no longer present sold front, as
race united for a political purpose. 1t is
rot necessary that they or any of them
should become Democrats, but they should
be absolutely independent In politics, voting
for the men they believe best qualified for
| the offices theyteek.
And the colored men who do this, and
| by doing 1t secure to themselves the priv
| ileges and rights Of citizenship, will be lid
| ing the Republican party more than they
| possibly could in any other way. They
form the basis Of representation upon
| which Alabama is entitled to four, Arkan-
sas to one, Florida to one, Georgia to five
Kentucky to two, Louisiana to four, Mary
land to one, Mississippi to five, Missouri to
one, North Carolina to four, South Caro-
| lima to four, Tennessee to three, Texas
to two, and Virginia to four representa-
tives in Congress; that is forty.one mem
bers OF the House of Representatives, aud
these have been nearly all Democrats, be-.
Il
cause the solidity of the colored vote for
the Republican party has caused its sup.
| preston by the Democratic party.
II the colored men should divide as sug-
gested the inevitable result would be the
| division of the white vote, and at least
twenty more Republicans, or at least meu
opposed to Democratic ideas and methods,
who would naturally affiliate with the Re-
publican party, would be sent to Congress
from the south, and they would be better
representative of its material interests than
the Bourbon Democrats who now mlsrepre-
sent that section.
The NATIONAL REPUBLICAN speaks Its
sentiments and shows its aims boldly and
plainly, because 1t believes that the honest,
thinking white people of the south would
gladly seize the opportunity to rescue their
country from the disgrace resting upon ii
because of the suppression of the votes Of
million colored men, and that opportunity
is given, II the colored men accept the
offer, when Democratic President invite:
the colored men to divide, enter the Demo.
cratic fold, and sit down at its official table